


A Perfect Fit for a Long Maddening Time

by twhitesakura (twsakura)



Category: HALO (Korea Band), JO1 (Japan Band), ORBIT (Japan Band), Produce 101 (Japan TV)
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25217155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twsakura/pseuds/twhitesakura
Summary: Despite himself, Heecheon likes Younghoon right away when they meet. It takes him a long time to discover how much. A slowburn in which Heecheon and Younghoon get together as a couple, covering snapshots of time from HALO's debut, through Produce 101 Japan, to Orbit's formation.
Relationships: Jung Younghoon | Ooon/Kim Heecheon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Heecheon - Part I

**Author's Note:**

> After watching Produce 101, I was devastated when Hello Again left the show and devoured what I could about HALO. Many references are based in reality, but of course, twisted to fit this story. Think of this as a canon-based AU. Enjoy!

Despite himself, Heecheon liked Younghoon right away upon meeting for the first time. Heecheon had been training since he was 12 and had gone through one boyband disbandment already. He was...a little less naive than he had been. But Younghoon was still fiery with eyes full of wonder. He was a shy braggart who seemed naturally talented in dance but who had worked hard to get there. 

It was only one year into HALO after Younghoon staggered during practicing for FEVER that Heecheon found out. 

"You have arrhythmia?"

Younghoon seemed ashamed. He was avoiding Heecheon's eyes as he spoke.

"It's never been a problem before," he said. "We were outdoors in the summer heat, so I was just a little exhausted."

Heecheon made sure to check the choreography so that Younghoon had pauses to breathe even though he was HALO's main dancer. The group held a secret meeting without Younghoon and while crying, Yoondong, their youngest and the least trained, promised to improve and remove some of the burden as their upcoming lead dancer. Every time Younghoon gritted his teeth, he turned the grimace into a smile at the fans. Every time he felt like he would start panting, he stuck out his tongue. They made sure to always have towels and water on hand for him. Younghoon never said anything, but gratefulness was written into his face and he took to leaning against Heecheon whenever he wanted to nap or resting his head on Heecheon's knees when they were in the van and had to travel to the next schedule.

Sometimes, Heecheon had an itch to run his fingers through Younghoon's hair as he slept. Heecheon did it once, smoothing the hair behind the shell of Younghoon's ear. Yoondong caught him but looked away and smiled out the window. 

  
Heecheon tried to give out "don't touch me" signals using his body language. Something about his height made it so young idols seemed to flock to him for hugs. He bore it stoically and they eventually got the message and left him alone.

Younghoon always seemed to push him and liked grabbing him from behind. It was funny seeing Younghoon try to backhug him and failing. Occasionally, Younghoon would really act like a hyung and properly embrace him, usually when they were sitting down. Heecheon let himself indulge in those moments because it made him feel like a small kid again.

One of the few times when Heecheon opened his arms to Younghoon in return was at their Japan concert. It was their last one and the knowledge of its finality hung heavy in the air. Every member felt it and kept it from HaLoves but Younghoon was...he was breaking down. So Heecheon joked onstage, and for a moment, offered his arms.

By that time, HALO's money situation was tight and they no longer had a van. So after the concert, they waited backstage until the fans had presumably gone home and took the train back to the dorms at an hour when no one would recognize them.

Younghoon was sitting at a window seat with his head pressed against the pane, looking dazed while Jaeyong, Inhaeng, and Yoondong were discussing what to cook as a celebratory dinner at home.

Heecheon reached out and smoothed the hair behind Younghoon's right ear. He touched Younghoon's chin lightly with the tips of his fingers, the way he had done so dozens of times before at fanmeets to get rid of a speck of dust or an errant smudge of makeup.

Younghoon turned to look at him. Younghoon's eyes were dark and faintly luminous, like the moon hidden behind the clouds. 

  
Younghoon was talkative with people. His eyes would crinkle gently and he had a bunny smile. As his face changed and matured, people often forgot about the Mariya days, but Heecheon remembered him fussing over the costumes and especially the berets he had to wear. Younghoon was both shy and hungry to be seen. Heecheon was hungry for people to hear his own voice, so he understood the compulsion.

But alone together, some of that animation would smooth into a restful serenity. Younghoon didn't know how to drive and would patiently pester Heecheon for a ride if he wanted to go somewhere far, like a garden or outdoor sculpture park. It was a good deal. Younghoon would pay for the ice cream (he always offered) and a meal afterwards. 

Younghoon was prone to wandering off in the morning. Jaeyong would complain that "travel boy" was traveling again if he was missing from the dorms and Jaeyong had to make and ultimately burn his own toast. (Besides Dino, Younghoon was their second best cook.) 

After one outing, Younghoon came back around lunchtime with iced drinks for everyone and bags of Heecheon's favorite frozen chicken nuggets. He promptly thrust them into Heecheon's hands.

"It was two for one," Younghoon proudly proclaimed as he sat on their sofa with his feet on their coffee table. He vibrated with extradordinary pleasure at having found such a sale. 

Younghoon was funny like that: frugal, but so willing to lend money or spend it on his friends.

  
"I was homeless," Younghoon told Heecheon in their hotel room in Israel. "I lived on a park bench for six months after running away because my parents objected to me becoming an idol."

Heecheon knew from Younghoon's bragging that he'd gotten #1 in English in his high school's university entrance exam scores. But he didn't realize what else Younghoon had given up to take his gamble with HALO.  
  
"It was very difficult," Younghoon continued, but didn't elaborate. He moved away from the window and sat on the twin bed next to Heecheon's. Heecheon was already in his pajamas and had the covers pulled up to his chin. Heecheon sat up and the covers pooled down to his waist.

"It was a great day today," Younghoon said, referring to HALO's performance at the K-wave expo and their trip to the local beach. "I was very happy."

He walked over to Heecheon and pulled the covers back up over his shoulders. "G'nite. I'm going to take a shower. I feel sticky." Younghoon stuck out his tongue and went to the bathroom.

  
Heecheon didn't consider himself handsome. On good days, he thought he was okay looking. On bad days, he thought he was ugly. Some of his features were very pretty on his sister, but they weren't ideal for a man. HALO didn't have a lot of fans, but whenever they got some general attention, there would always be a dismissive comment or two about him. 

"Well, he must REALLY sing well."

It was a back-handed compliment. The thing was, Heecheon DID sing well and so he thought the unsaid sentiment behind the comment was true, too. 

"Yeah, when you wake up with drool down your chin, you're horrendously ugly," Younghoon said when asked. Heecheon was going to throw his water bottle at Younghoon when he added, "But so am I."

After HALO went to Paris, Younghoon showed Heecheon the photos he took. Because Heecheon refused to to have Younghoon's camera on him, most of the photos were of Yoondong in France. Yoondong at a cafe outside. Yoondong at a church praying with lit votive candles. Younghoon put all of the photos on Instagram but the last one in a series of entries was a photo of Yoondong asleep. Yoondong's naked back faced the camera and his front angled toward the curtained window of their shared hotel room.

It was a very intimate-looking photo but everyone knew maknae liked to sleep with only his boxers on and Younghoon seemed unperturbed. Heecheon wondered what photos Younghoon would have taken of him if he had agreed.

On their last night in Paris, the group went to a sauna. Heecheon dipped his right hand in cold water and drew a line down Younghoon's nape to the small of his back just to see him shiver. 

  
Heecheon knew he had a type from the few relationships he'd had in his life. Cute, modest, and someone who adored him as much as he did. So when Takumi waltzed into his life, adorable, talented, and hardworking, Heecheon couldn't help his ensuing infatuation. Takumi had this very mischievous grin and this shy personality that screamed "Please adopt me!" to anyone who could get past his sometimes intimidating looks. Well, it wasn't as if Takumi could intimidate HIM. The guy was a shortie compared to Heecheon, and so clingy! He really liked hanging onto his back as if he could really backhug --

Younghoon was crying. Heecheon felt his mind go blank.

  
Heecheon and Yoondong went to get some bubble tea with their class A friends. Ever so often, they'd mention Younghoon and talk about him positively around the other trainees. After twenty minutes they excused themselves to the bathroom. 

"Issei liked 'Yonfun'-hyung during our audition," Yoondong said, completely blank-faced.

When Yoondong was serious he was scary, driven. Heecheon remembered how he had cried when they learned Younghoon had arrhythmia. He remembered how many hours Yoondong spent in the dance studio by himself until he exceeded both Heecheon and Younghoon as dancers. 

"Do you think you can convince him?"

"Of course, hyung."

  
Heecheon had been disgusted with Younghoon for a long time because of his aegyo. But he wasn't surprised when the Mariya fancams focusing on Younghoon and Yoondong being cute together started being shared on twitter or when Mamefun hit an all time high after FIRE. Yoondong was lurking about innocently in the background, trying to boost up their fallen comrade. But away from both his HALO teammates, the toll was starting to wear on Heecheon. He was ashamed when he cried during RTF. He didn't realize until later that the cameras had caught Younghoon's reaction.

  
_I think Yoondong can make it._

Heecheon looked at the text. He was lounging in bed in his childhood home in Korea and had wrapped one of Younghoon's oversized hoodies he had borrowed and never returned around his shoulders like a poncho. He tried to text back, but the signal was bad and the text kept reading "unable to send." Heecheon threw his phone down in dismay.

  
When Heecheon went to answer his door,Younghoon stood on his doorstep as he half-expected. So did Yoondong, which he didn't expect at all. They told him what had happened before the next episode was going to air and why they had decided to withdraw from the show.

"You're idiots," he said and refused to touch either of them. 

His mother made them futons on his bedroom floor where Yoondong was curled up shirtless away from Younghoon. Yoondong didn't like being snuggled up to when asleep and complained of feeling hot whenever any of the other members used to come bother him. Younghoon was pressed against the bottom of Heecheon's bed, with his arms wrapped around himself as a courtesy to Yoondong. He was still awake and visibly uncomfortable.

"Hyung," Heecheon whispered. 

Younghoon looked up.

"Come here."

Younghoon was wary but Heecheon curled an arm around him and pulled him into an embrace. It was the first time they had slept together that wasn't on a dressing room floor or in a cramped van or on a long train ride to somewhere or for something.   
  
Younghoon's eyelashes fluttered once against Heecheon's collarbone and went still.   
  
He fit perfectly under Heecheon's chin.  
  


Heecheon doesn't like to lie but it wasn't exactly a fib when he said Younghoon was his next door neighbor on the Instalive. After all, they share a living room and their bedrooms WERE next door to each other. If anyone finds out the truth, well, his Japanese isn't 100%, you know?


	2. Yoondong - Part II

Yoondong is the oldest at home, so when he joined HALO, it was a bit strange to be relegated to maknae status. At first he was very polite and kind. It was how he was brought up to treat strangers and guests. At night when he was homesick, he'd cry under his covers. Inhaeng shared his room and never said a word, although he would leave sweets on his pillow the day after a bad cry. After a while, hyung figured out they were too sweet (Yoondong would re-offer them to Inhaeng and his other groupmates after practice) and he left Yoondong coffee-flavored ones instead. 

Everyone babied him and while it was mystifying at first, it came to be reassuring. The members were patient as they trained and both Younghoon-hyung and Heecheon-hyung would practice dance with him. Heecheon didn't like to move or sweat and he seemed keen on developing more as a vocal instead of a dancer. When it became known that Younghoon had arrhythmia, the push for Yoondong to really fulfill his role as a lead dancer became urgent. Yoondong practiced nonstop for months and took to using a unicycle to train his balance. He got so good at it that he could mop the floor of their studio while on it.

Younghoon's condition was an open secret. Everyone played along when Younghoon claimed to be fearful of heights and didn't want to ride the rollercoasters whenever they went to an amusement park. But only Yoondong seemed to notice how Heecheon treated Younghoon.

Yoondong wasn't even sure if Heecheon viewed men that way. But one time, he leaned out his window and saw Heecheon kiss his mysterious girlfriend on the street outside their dorm. Heecheon had never introduced any of his dates to the group. When Heecheon moved away, Yoondong could see the figure at dusk he mistook for short-haired girl was really a guy. 

Younghoon seemed entirely oblivious but after a breakup, which took Heecheon months and months to get over, Younghoon would be extra annoying to him, invading his personal space, and backhugging him into submission. They'd go on drives together to out of the way spots outside Seoul. But as far as Yoondong knew, nothing ever happened. Younghoon had a string of girlfriends who didn't seem to last more than a few months. Younghoon tended to attract people who were needy and relied on his sunny attitude. Eventually, his need for space made a breakup impossible to avoid. 

It was why Younghoon liked to chase him, Yoondong realized. And why Heecheon was a safe object of affection too, but sometimes, Heecheon would touch Younghoon so carefully as if he was testing something. And Younghoon would brush it off but smile, like he was secretly pleased. 

So it was shocking but not entirely surprising when Yoondong was finally allowed to return to Korea to collect the missing members of Orbit and found Heecheon pecking Younghoon on the lips against the kitchen counter. Heecheon immediately moved to hide Younghoon from view even though his face was entirely red. 

"A warning next time, hyung?" Yoondong furrowed his eyebrows and moved his luggage to the pull-out sofa where he began to unpack. 

Both Heecheon and Younghoon scrambled to help.


	3. Younghoon - Part III [END]

Chuchu seemed to be confused that she wasn't welcome in bed when Heecheon was there. Because she still hadn't mastered the pet stairs to get onto the bed, she'd only zoom around on the floor around it and give Younghoon doe-eyes expecting to be picked up. He'd had to set up her dog bed outside the bedroom and physically put her there on those nights.

Younghoon was used to being an early riser. As HALO's leader he had a lot to take care of regarding the group and he used to use the early morning hours to get out of the dorms, take a stroll, maybe find a household item they needed on sale. Because most people were working ordinary jobs (unlike an idol's unstable hours), there were mostly slower-paced elderly shoppers around on the weekdays. He enjoyed the quiet and usually offered to help someone load or unload their cart. 

But Heecheon liked sleeping in. He was indolent like a cat, content to doze in warm environs until it was near lunchtime and grumpy if Younghoon tried to sneak away. Sometimes as revenge Heecheon would touch him slowly and try to rouse what he'd caused last night. 

They hadn't done much else but touching so far and deep kisses. Heecheon was always careful and gentle. He'd press his ear to Younghoon's chest and listen to his heartbeat. He'd babble things, "I'm going to take care of you, take such good care of you. Tell me if anything's too much."

It was strange to not be the initiator in sex. And it was surprising how tactile Heecheon was, as if he'd been touch-starved outside of his lover. Lover. It was still something Younghoon had a hard time wrapping his mind around. Outside the bedroom, Heecheon was maybe a little more affectionate but largely the same. They'd joke and troll each other, work on choreography and music with each other, but when Younghoon leaned against him for a nap, Heecheon would curl a hand around him or hide a smile in his hair. Not in front of Yoondong though. Luckily, there was a cousin who hadn't seen him in a while and asked him to spend a few nights over. Yoondong had given them a few funny looks but then deep hugs, "I missed you, hyung."

Younghoon hadn't examined their relationship that closely, but he wondered...

"What about your girlfriends, Heecheon?"

"What girlfriends?"

"Like that culinary student you were dating? Or the kindergarten teacher?"

"Hyung...those were all guys."

"Oh."

"Hyung...have you ever dated a guy before?"

"What are you talking about?"

Heecheon laughed under his breath. "Well, I guess I'm the first." He sounded ridiculously happy. "Unless you count your crush on Yoondong."

"Haha, in case you hadn't realized, that was a joke, like your thing with Takumi."

He felt Heecheon stiffen.

Younghoon worried his lower lip. "He's not a bad kid. When I go to military service, it'll be at least 18 months."

"What are you getting at?"

"I've never had a relationship reach the 200th day anniversary."

Heecheon rolled over until he was caging Younghoon into the bed. "Mr. Jeong Younghoon," he said lowly. "I promise you we will be together for a very, very, extremely maddening long time."

Younghoon stared at him, then he tickled Heecheon under his armpits until Heecheon was squealing and that wide goofy smile he loved broke out across Heecheon's face. Younghoon wrestled him over and pressed his nose against Heecheon's.

"Yoroshiku, dongsaeng."

"A-plus effort on the Japanese, hyung," Heecheon said deadpan, before Younghoon kissed the smugness off his face.

Younghoon didn't believe in forevers. _This too shall pass._ Even before he carved the words he lived by as a tattoo on his bicep, it had already formed as an unshakeable private philosophy of his. He knew he was powerless to fight time and would cherish each and every moment of whatever he had with Heecheon for however long it lasted. But Heecheon obviously had a different way of thinking and for that, Younghoon was relieved...and hopeful.


	4. Issei - Sidestory

Mamehara Issei had one older sister and no friends. The closest peers he could claim was from the dance club at his school. But he wasn't really interested in the music they were and found himself gravitating towards '90s hiphop. He browsed through the old MVs and bought baggy cargo pants alot of the old artists wore and found them freeing to dance in. He found a dance studio near his hometown he could bike to for hiphop lessons. The teacher called him an "old soul" and he improved so quickly they offered him a position as an afterschool dance instructor for the 7-12 year olds. It was nice pocket money and he agreed and after a while, he lost touch completely with his dance club acquaintances.

He came home daily smelling of sweat, which his older sister called "teenage-boyness" and rolled her eyes at. She was obsessed with Korean idols and had their posters plastered all over her room. The only people he could recognize were TWICE and BTS, the two groups that inevitably came up in conversation in the school cafeteria. So it was unexpected when she called him to her room after dinner and pointed at an advertisement on her laptop for an audition for a show called "Produce 101 Japan." 

"It's being produced by a really large Korean company and Yoshimoto," his sister said knowingly. "You know mom and dad won't ever let you pursue a dance career unless it's with someone big."

Issei hadn't thought much about the future, but dance was the only passion in his life so far, and he agreed to sign up. He was very nervous, but he'd learned to put on his "teacher's face" with the kids and he made sure nothing showed outwardly but a solemness that his mother said made him look eerily like his father during the taped recording of the first episode.

There were some very impressive dancers, singers, and rappers, but when the Korean group auditioned, he shifted in his seat for a closer look. So this is what a Kpop idol group was like...the one in the white shirt caught his eye. He had an aura that demanded he be looked at.

Issei forgot about him quickly after that. The Korean was put in B class and they never interacted. Instead, he developed an admiration for Ren, their Tsukame center and experienced backdancer. He was a goal Issei felt he could compare himself against, a good rival. When Heecheon and Yoondong formed part of his DNA group, he sat in the background and watched how easily they worked as a team with Heecheon as the leader and Yoondong echoing his sentiments. Heecheon was actually a little scary but Yoondong had a very friendly smile and seemed to understand Issei's quietness, often coming over to him between practice breaks to share his expertise.

"Can I call you Mame-chan?" He asked one day.

Issei nodded. It had become a favorite nickname from the other trainees but it still felt awkward since the last time anyone had used it had been his kindergarten teacher.

Issei's group recorded one of their final DNA practices and sat around to look at it when the Korean, Younghoon, came over at Heecheon and Yoondong's urging. They automatically parted to give him space. Heecheon and Younghoon began a rapid discussion in Korean as they viewed the video footage.

"Don't worry, he's here to help us," Yoondong said as an aside to Issei. After Younghoon left, the group re-gathered and Heecheon began talking about what they had to improve on for their final performance. 

Issei decided selecting experienced Korean idols onto his team had been a good decision.

He woke up late during one of Produce's slow days. The rest of his team had apparently gone out for lunch and left him behind at the dorms. He went to the cafeteria where one group, OTT1, was still having their meal. 

"Issei-kun!" Younghoon waved him over. 

Issei raised a hand in greeting and went over to sit with them with his tray. Okawa Reiya asked him a few questions while Ikumi and Reito bickered. Eventually they turned their attention to him and they started talking about high school, exams, and stodgy homeroom teachers. It was a very nice and warm atmosphere and the younger members didn't look anxious at all. It was unlike every other group or class Issei'd been in since coming to Produce. When Issei finished his ice cream, Younghoon pushed his unopened one toward him.

"Take it. You look like you enjoyed it."

Younghoon had a nice smile. His eyes had an attractive almond curve, curtained at the end with long lashes. 

That night, Issei tossed and turned in his bed and logged onto his SNS to look at Miru's photos. He wasn't an avid idol fan like his sister but he did like NMB48 and one of their members, Shiroma Miru. She was older than him, sexy, a bit of a fool, and beautiful. She had a very charming smile. He pushed a few likes on her bikini photos using his account, feeling some sort of agitation in him die down, and settled into a peaceful sleep.

DNA1, Issei's team, won.

Between filming, many of the Class A trainees went to a trendy bubble tea place. Issei hadn't tried the drink yet as a branch hadn't opened up in his countryside neighborhood. He didn't like artificial sweets very much so on Yoondong's recommendation he went with 1/3 the sugar of a regular milktea. 

The trainees talked about lots of different stuff and Issei was content to listen. Heecheon asked Issei some questions but Takumi inevitably pulled his attention away. Takumi was stuck on Heecheon like honey. Takumi really liked leaning against people and cuddling people and Issei wondered why he had ever found him intimidating to begin with. 

"Maybe I should get an order to go for hyung," Yoondong remarked. 

"You mean, Younghoon-san?" Issei asked.

Yoondong smiled. 

Issei was curious so he asked about Yoondong's experiences as a Kpop idol. His Japanese wasn't every good so the questions and answers had to be simple, but Issei got the feeling that Yoondong really admired Younghoon and that he had been a good leader to HALO. 

"He's really cool," Issei heard himself say and quickly added, "I mean, during the audition."

Yoondong had a very blank expression for a moment but it smoothed quickly into his usual friendliness. 

"I agree, Mame-chan."

FIRE was really fun. It was the most fun he'd ever had. Everyone was really pulling together as a team and determined to make Mame-chan #1. Even when people were tired, no one showed it. Shion was a lot warmer than he thought. Junki and Younghoon kept everyone's spirits up and Yoondong was free in a way he hadn't been before, rolling around the floor and laughing so loud his face was just bursting with cheerfulness. And there was Kantaniel. They would save him. Mame's group would take the win and the benefit would save him from elimination for sure.

It was horrible to lose. Mame congratulated Ren and went off into the corner to cry again. Younghoon found him and wrapped him into a hug. 

"It'll be okay."

And it was.

Mame looked at the rankings. He thought about who he'd like to be in the final group with him. He was young but he wasn't stupid. He needed Yoondong. He wanted Younghoon. He looked at how Yoondong and Younghoon helped each other, loved each other, and wanted that too. He deleted his SNS account because the fans had found out about his Miru fascination. 

From now on, Mamehara Issei would try to keep things close to his heart while winning theirs.

After the final and after the spell of Produce ended, Mame became Issei again. He went home. He knew it would feel different every time he returned after this trip because he was journeying into adult society and working as an idol. Every time his parents called him with the -chan suffix he cringed. There was a flood of congratulatory text messages from eliminated trainees and one from a Korean number overseas, "I'm sorry."

Issei didn't answer, he put down his phone and laid down his head against the living room table trying to soak in the warmth from the kotatsu, breathing home into his lungs so he could carry it wherever he went from now on.


	5. Takumi - Sidestory

Takumi was terrible at his studies but great at sports. His family had been initially disappointed when he ended up applying for a technical school instead of an academic one, but he'd always been good with his hands and his father took him aside, "A mechanic is a very respectable job. I'm proud of being a plumber and I'm proud of you too."

Numbers and literature, they slipped from his mind like sand through a sieve. But he could put machines together and take them apart. He could run five laps around the school yard without getting winded and when his favorite idol groups came up on television, he could spend hours reviewing taped footage and trying to learn their choreography. 

When he applied for idol auditions and was invited by the agency to go for a second audition in Tokyo, his family was behind him 100% and so was his girlfriend, but his baseball teammmates who were preparing for a final game were not.

"Tsubasa-kun quit because of you," Nishimura said. "He practiced for three years but he never could hit as well as you nor run as fast as you."

"You're our ace," Takao said, "Isn't it selfish to drop out of the tournament?"

The rumor spread throughout the school. Boys in other teams, like the soccer and swim teams, glared at him disapprovingly in the halls. Eventually, Takumi decided to go to the tournament instead of the audition. They won and put the trophy in the school's display case. Takumi graduated high school, broke up with his sweetheart, and found work at a car company but often regretted what he had done.

A year later, at a class reunion, Michiru, his ex, approached him with a flyer in her hands for Produce 101 Japan.

On the show, Takumi was like a sponge looking for knowledge. Anyone who was a little more experienced, he watched closely, mimicking the best models he could find. His body, as usual, was cooperative. Heecheon took him under his wing. Takumi could see how over a decade of practice shaped Heecheon, honed him. Hico too, was a great mentor who helped him behind the scenes. The camera rarely followed them whenever they were together and Heecheon told him why.

"They don't want Hico. Right now, they want you."

"What do you mean?" Takumi didn't like what Heecheon was saying.

"Show business is not a fair world," Heecheon said sadly. "His color," he used an unusual word for color in Japanese, "is too loud. Hico doesn't know how to hide."

"But I like him," Takumi said and promptly grabbed Heecheon's wrist, "and I like you too."

"Do you?" Heecheon said. Strangely he sounded angry. But when he saw Takumi's tears, his voice softened and he didn't struggle out of Takumi's grip even if it must have hurt. "I'll make you shine Takumi, don't worry."


End file.
